Apple Grants ABC's 'Nightline' Access to Foxconn Factories in China

Nightline title card 2005ABCNews reports that Apple has given Nightline anchor Bill Weir exclusive access to their suppliers' factories in China.

"For years, Apple and Foxconn have been synonymous with monster profits and total secrecy so it was fascinating to wander the iphone and iPod production lines, meet the people who build them and see how they live. Our cameras were rolling when thousands of hopeful applicants rushed the Foxconn gates and I spoke with dozens of line workers and a top executive about everything from hours and pay to the controversies over suicides at the plant and the infamous "jumper nets" that line the factories in Shenzhen. After this trip, I'll never see an Apple product the same way again" said Weir

This special edition of "Nightline" will air Tuesday, February 21st at 11:35pm ET on ABC.

Apple and Foxconn have been under fire due to working conditions in the factories that manufacture iPads and iPhones. Apple has also allowed the Fair Labor Association to start auditing their factories. FLA has reportedly uncovered "tons of issues" that will need addressing. A full report is to be coming in the next few weeks.

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Changes Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday January 16, 2025 6:45 am PST by
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website. Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50. We have outlined some examples below: Device New Value Old Value iPhone 15 Pro Max Up to $630 U ...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
airtag 4 pack blue

AirTag 2 Launching This Year With These 3 New Features

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:11 am PST by
After a four-year wait, a new AirTag is finally expected to launch in 2025. Below, we recap rumored upgrades for the accessory. A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was aiming to release the AirTag 2 around the middle of 2025. While he did not offer a more specific timeframe, that means the AirTag 2 could be announced by the end of June. The original AirTag was announced...
iPad Pro vs iPhone 17 Air Feature

Here's How Thin the iPhone 17 Air Might Be

Friday January 17, 2025 3:38 pm PST by
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...
apple power beats pro 2

Powerbeats Pro 2 Coming Soon: Apple to Announce Them 'Imminently'

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:25 am PST by
In September, Apple said that it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and it appears the wireless earbuds are coming very soon. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the Powerbeats Pro 2 in regulatory databases last month, Gurman said Apple is...

Top Rated Comments

Skika Avatar
169 months ago
I'll never see an Apple product the same way again" said Weir

Because only Apple stuff is made in China right? :roll eyes:

Gimme a break.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sweetbrat Avatar
169 months ago
Pays well above local average doesn't mean **** if you're stuck living in conditions that are, arguably, more overpopulated than sardines in a can.

And yet thousands of people line up whenever they're hiring. Because they can't make wages like that anywhere else in their country.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
808? Avatar
169 months ago
This is a brilliant move by Apple if they can expose Foxconn for what it is.

A large Taiwanese owned employer that pays well above the average local wage, houses, feeds, clothes and educates their staff?
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kolax Avatar
169 months ago
I wonder if Apple is hoping ABC will shed light on HP and other manufactures who use Foxconn.

It isn't just Apple, yet every article seems to slate Apple to bits over it. This might show it is an industry wide problem and Apple isn't alone.


Apple "grants" access to the facilities of an independent company. That phrase alone calls for extreme cynicism: I wonder if this was a similar setup like the Red Cross visits to certain Ghettos in the late 1930s in certain Easter European regions. The Red Cross wanted to be fooled and only got to see what they wanted to see: Happy faces on a nicely prepared stage. Nothing was real, but nobody cared.

But maybe there are still some journalists with the necessary ethics left in this world who are willing to look beyond the stage and report the inconvenient truth that they find.
The whole Foxconn thing has been so publicly reported, and in comparison to your mention of the Red Cross visit to the Ghettos in the 1930s, is in a different world from then due to the internet. I think if ABC gave a biased report, the truth would come out via the internet anyway, and ABC would look bad. I'm sure ABC will be very in-depth and not take a blind eye to anything.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kolax Avatar
169 months ago
Now we know how Apple treats bad press (New York Times) how can anybody believe this Bill Weir guy.
Like Poetin, Berlusconi etc. Apple want's to control the media. It's like a bad James Bond movie.

The New York Times article specifically pointed out the iPad and Apple, making the average Joe think Apple is the sole company using Foxconn and the cause of bad worker conditions.

It is an industry problem, and while Apple is part of that, it is bad journalism to just point the finger at one company when other companies are in the same situation.

And if you're referring to how Apple treated the New York Times in regard to the preview of Mountain Lion, their reporter said he had had it for a week, so Apple did not shunt out The New York Times like originally thought.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
808? Avatar
169 months ago
As a matter of fact I'm fairly certain working conditions in lesser factories with less attention are likely worse.

Exactly.

Foxconn is a dream employer for many 100s of 1000s of mainland Chinese and Brazilians who have been lifted out of rural poverty.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)